Wallaby cuddling

I have a long weekend, the last of my furlough days and a birthday gift for myself. I LOVE not going to work. I couldn't sleep in really but it's 10:25 and I'm still in my pajamas, so to me that's a good morning. Instead of calling clients, and desperately waiting for lunch hour, I am relaxing, watching Star Trek Nemesis (it's better than talk shows...) and playing video games. I may go shopping later, but then again I may not bother. It's bliss! Anyways, I unfortunately didn't really participate in anything for Remembrance Day because we had an interesting presentation at the Zoo on Wednesday morning about a conference 2 of the Keepers went to. There were a lot of fundraising and enrichment ideas and they wanted to get the Volunteers involved. During the meeting Boris, an African Spurred Tortoise, was walking around, enjoying a change of scenery, and he started getting into a bit of trouble under the Bird-eating Spider enclosure so I got to hold a Wallaby while the Keeper pulled Boris out. Lucky me, I got to keep holding Disney during the rest of the presentation and fed her some leaves, and cuddled her a bit. It was awesome. Apparently she really likes cuddling, and was really comfortable in her blanket. My arms got really sore, but I persevered till the end, not wanting to give up a wonderful opportunity like that. It is moments like that that make me so happy I started volunteering. Most of the time it's cleaning, walking around, occasionally really hard work, and of course the varieties of poop clean up. And, it's all completely worth it for those moments when the animals seem to recognize me and come over to say hello, or I get to touch or hold them. I even touched my first tarantula, not quite as nice as the Wallaby, but I was proud of myself for not completely freaking out and running away. Volunteering there is one of the best activities I've ever been involved with.

A week or so

Sundays seem to be the best day to catch up on things so here I am. I think it's the sleeping in (for me that's 8:30-9:00, though today was 9:30! WOW!), and lack of obligations. I may or my not change out of my pajamas. Sundays are bliss. Anyways, I spent 3 days training this week because we are switching to a new database in a couple of weeks. Day 1 was kind of fun and also made me want to slit my throat. By the end of the day I was almost in tears & raging. I thought I should quit and look for a new job. The training system was problematic which just made learning that much harder and frustrating. My temper couldn't take it and I couldn't imagine doing my job properly and envisioned myself going completely postal. However, on the drive home reality hit, and I realized that even if I could find another job I would still have to learn a whole new system. Finding a job is a huge IF anyways. I have a general arts degree and have spent most of my work life in sales or the food industry. I have zero marketable skills. Sure, I can photocopy reduce perfectly, but unfortunately nobody gives an f- about that. I sure as hell can't get hired based on my charms, though I hear cleavage can work advantageously if I chose to use it. Day 2 therefore was better, having no choice but to make the best of it. By Day 3 I was almost comfortable, or at least not completely depressed about it all. The weekend couldn't come fast enough though. Yesterday I volunteered as usual and then played video games for the rest of the afternoon. Not overly productive but that's a typical Saturday. My intention is to clean up today. Note the word 'intention'. Monday will be back to normal at work, and due to Remembrance Day and taking a long weekend next weekend I only have to work 3 days this coming week. YEAH!

On a side note, I rented 3 movies last weekend: Gran Torino, Coraline, and Sin Hombre. Gran Torino was amazing, and I highly recommend it if you haven't seen it yet. It's got racial slurs oozing out of every pore but it's kind of like Gulliver's Travels in it's hatred, spreading the hatred and disgust equally among all the different types of people. Coraline was interesting, and of course really cool animation. I admittedly fell asleep half way through but I was tired so don't blame the story. Sin Hombre is a Spanish film about people trying to get into the U.S. and dealing with poverty and gangs. It was really well done, brutally sad, and worth watching for sure.

Half hour

My apologies for the long absence. I have not been in much of a sharing mood I suppose, as well as obsessively reading, playing Zoo Tycoon, working, and so on. I'm waiting for the big So You Think You Can Dance finale so thought I would take advantage of the free time. I spent the week working at the dog kennel, it was really fun, exhausting, but fun. By Friday I was finally not sore but sadly that was my last day. There were not as many dogs as last time but it was still busy enough for me. I almost passed out Monday evening but roused myself from the couch long enough to let them out for their last pee and then went to bed. I played a hell of a lot of fetch as well since we had a daycare visitor named Fozzy who LOVED playing fetch with a fiery passion. And, for the rest:

Abbey - a Great Dane, loved to chew and chase the small dogs on the other side of the fence. She always wanted to play fetch when I was playing with Fozzy but not so much when I tried to play with her. She would jump up though, higher than I can, and toss her rope around. It was hilarious. She was great to hug as well.

Candy (big one) - a Sheppard cross I think, she was a bit shy and wasn't into playing at all but loved barking at the other dogs and at cars. She was so excited to see her owner!

Candy (little one) - a poodle type, very cute and loved attention. She was the biggest barker, and would really only stop when I was hanging out with her, and wanted to cuddle all the time.

Molly, Lucy & Lucky - I still didn't get who was Lucy vs. Lucky by the time they left but they were all pretty cute. Two pugs and a pug cross, all three would jump on me and each other for attention. They made me laugh, alot.

Katie - a terrier, she was a bit of a suck and an instigator. She would bark like mad at the other dogs but was nothing but a suck with me. She loved cuddling as well.

Sony - a German Sheppard cross as well, poor thing she was so scared, because it was her first time at a kennel. She was really sweet though and at least liked the big yard.

Maggie & Miracle - two beagles, Maggie was Miracle's Mom. Miracle was like a little sausage, loved to eat and walk. Both loved the butt scratch!

Charlie - a poodle type, just a puppy and did the happy-to-see-me pee all the time. I would have taken her home if I could. She was a big-time cuddler, adorable!

Well, it's time for the finale so I will have to go!

Hmmm

I have been meaning to post a few things but I keep getting carried away with general laziness, occaisionally house cleaning, and a bit of gaming here & there. Now I have no idea what interesting things I meant to post. I guess you're just out of luck. Sorry.

AWESOME

I had the best day, or at least the best experience in a day today. I did have to work but got out early and went to one of our team building activities at TWU. It was a bit of a slow start but the last activity we the 'Leap of Faith'. We had to help the 'leapers' by belaying as the two teammates climbed up this pole and then leap off together. You are supposed to grab this bar or at least try. My teammate and I went up last and I really didn't mind the height at all. Standing at the top of a wobbly post is a bit crazy but it was also exhilarating. I didn't even really try to jump towards the bar I just leaped and was really nervous for a few seconds but then gave into the trust of the belayers. It really hurt my boobs though - the harness doesn't work well with the girls. But, I wanted to do it again right away. It was amazing.

I got home and watched the results of yesterday's So You Think You Can Dance Canada show. My favourite couples are Emmett & Tara Jean, Vincent and Amy and then I like everyone else. So, this was a tough night because they're now getting into the top 10. Surprisingly BOTH of my favs made it, which shocked the crap out of me since Vincent & Amy have been in the bottom almost every week it seemed. Cody & Melanie were in the bottom which was a huge surprise. They ended up cutting Daniel which broke my heart. I am glad Corinne was cut, not so much because she didn't deserve the top 10 but Melanie & Jayme Rae are incredible dancers. Oh, and the crazy pants guy made it to Vegas in the US auditions. That's a good day.

Sidekicks

Okay, so I have eaten my second Sidekicks meal in about a week's time and I have to say that it really does not have any nutritional value whatsoever. It's really tasty and filling but other than a sprinkling of dehydrated vegetable matter and dairy products it does not give enough nutrients to an individual. Now, it is supposed to be a side but being a lazy, chronically single person, I do not always ant to make a meal. It's a lot of work and a lot of pots & stuff so I often go for the 5-10 minute meal - salads, sandwiches, frozen dinners, pizza. Sometimes I want to cook, but not as often as I don't want to. I don't want to eat out all the time either, but I certainly appreciate a quality meal that I don't have to prepare or clean up after. I am planning to make Broccoli salad, a recipe my co-worker kindly gave me, but I forgot to pick up the remaining ingredients on my way home and a trip to the grocery store was unthinkable once I actually got in. Tomorrow and Thursday I get free meals though because we're having a conference for work. THAT's awesome. I love free food even more than just a quality meal. I know people who love cooking and will cook every day or every other day. They make large portions and freeze them. That sort of thing. I would like to be more like them, it's just not likely to happen. I don't mind the cooking, but I'm hungry by the time I get home and then a 1/2 hour to 1 hour wait just seems too difficult. I am also tired of the same old, same old. I need variety, thus the broccoli salad plans. Wednesday I need a lunch & supper since I won't be at the conference (and no, it's not a fun day, it's a day of actual work) so I'll try to remember to pick up the rest of the salad ingredients tomorrow. "Try" being the key word here.

CHAIRS!!! And, pants...

So I finally got my deck chairs today. I am THRILLED to death! They were $69.99 each so a bit less than I thought - Canadian Tire had a different brand than the last time I went there so it worked out great. They'll match the deck and even have a place for a drink. Once I get them assembled I will officially be ready to entertain. Yay!

On a different and more guilty note, I spent $2.24 on a pair of capris. Where, do you ask? Well, at the evil conglomerate of Walmart. My dear Cousin Janet made me do it. She wanted to go shop around and so I went, shoulders slouched and with a shuffle to my step. But, her excitement over the $2 rack of clothes was catching and I ended up trying it on and then actually spending money there. It's been at least 6 years if not more. My guilt and confusion is diminished slightly by the fact it was only $2.24 so I got a deal and really $2.24 spread over that many years is moderately acceptable. And, now I have great capris for work. Superficial needs, at a cheap price, seem to outweigh my political leanings somehow. I am disappointed in myself but really! Only $2.24!

French Cooking

I have very little experience with french food other than the bread maybe and a strong revulsion of escargot. Despite all that I thoroughly enjoyed Julie & Julia and am eager to try eating if not cooking as much French food as I can. I couldn't eat it every day but I couldn't help but get excited about all of the recipes that the two J's work though, except for the jello beef thing. I'll skip that. It was a really enjoyable movie and I laughed alot. I ate Sushi beforehand, quite a bit actually, so at least didn't go in hungry. I don't think I could have beared that. It also gave me a strong urge to blog so here I am. But, don't expect me to start actually blogging about something specific. That's just too much discipline.

There was a preview of the new Fame movie too. And, despite how terrible it may end up being I am still excited as all hell. I can't help it. And, now Footloose is on TV. I am going to be all riled up for more dancing! Tuesday is the next day and I think the new US season is starting on Wednesday (So You Think You Can Dance, just in case you don't have a clue what I'm always talking about). I think that the sassy Jenna Lynn should be next to go but we shall see how that goes. I don't know who the next guy will be but it sure as hell better not be Everett or Daniel. I will be PISSED! PISSED!

Oh Tatiana!

I can't believe it! Tatiana has been voted off! WHAT!!!!!!!! Are you crazy? I am furious! The Capoeira was amazing! F-ing hell! AAAARRGGGHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Work once again

I am now back at work. What can I say? It's alright. Things are fine. I am not overly stressed out. Having a week and a bit off is a very refreshing thing. I was not overly lazy, but yet spent plenty of time relaxing. I got some major crap done. And, now I must get paid and keep the roof over my head, etc.

I spent last Saturday night at the Zoo. It was one of their camping nights and it was actually really fun. It was quite a chilly night though so everytime I moved I got a blast of cold air from the slit in my sleeping bag which of course woke me up. Then these nutball children were up at the crack of dawn chatting away two tents over. Everyone was packed up by 7:30. It was ridiculous. Why do people insist on doing stuff AND talking about it before 8:00 a.m.? It's just insane. Amryn, our youngest Giraffe, was quite the showman and came running over to the crowd on our safari tour in the evening which was great. I also saw a family of Wood Ducks!

Tonight is the first official show for the Top 20 of So You Think You Can Dance Canada - YES! I must go. And, I will be voting! I AM SO EXCITED!!!

Sleeping in and a whole lotta Twin Peaks

I have been sleeping in - except for Saturday of course - till 9ish which is pretty awesome. I have accomplished some of my goals, specifically the lazing about part. I have spent approximately 50% of my time playing Zoo Tycoon, 40% watching Twin Peaks ( I am now well into Season 2) and 10% actually being moderately social. I went dog walking with my co-worker and 5 dogs, I went to see District 9 (LOVED IT!!!), Volunteered, picked up my kennel help money, and spent some quality time on Facebook. My supervisor officially gave me an extra 2 days so I now have a full week ahead so I should be able to get some other things done too. And, luckily for me it's actually sunny so feels like summer once again. Here's some Zoo pics from the past few weeks.

Terazzo, an 18 foot long articulated python. She really likes curling up in the rocks.

Our new Pelican.

April making a face.

Shadow enjoying a nice afternoon.

Holidays! Yay!

I am officially on holiday and ECSTATIC about it!!! Woot woot! I actually managed to sleep in till 8ish, which is quite an accomplishment for me. Then Hal jumped on my bladder and I had to get up. It's not raining but it's not warm & sunny either so I am planning to have a lazy day. My holiday goals include lazing about ALOT, a haircut, furniture shopping and maybe a movie I get really energetic. Right now I am drinking coffee and re-watching yesterday's So You Think You Can Dance Vancouver & St. John's auditions. I have a few favourites already so hopefully they make it into the top 20. And, a shout out to Cheerleader Troy - 'Shut the Front Door' indeed. Awesome!

Dogs

I spent this weekend working at a kennel - the owners needed to go away for some family stuff so I offered to help. It was a great opportunity since I have been thinking about owning my own kennel but really had no experience with them. I never thought Clyde would tolerate a kennel but in retrospect I think it would have been a better option than the terrible pet sitters I have had over the years. Anyways, it was a bit hard on the old office feet - I am so out of shape and used to sitting for 99% of my day. I had to walk 12-16 dogs each morning (some came an some left each day) which was a big challenge. It's not a long walk - just enough to get them some exercize and do their business but still it took about 2 hours. Then I had to clean out the kennels and rotate the dogs in the dog yards so they got a bit more time out & about until I put them to 'bed'. Friday was kind of crazy because I was still figuring stuff out and I had to deal with owners dropping off & picking up. All the dogs wanted attention so if I spent some time with one I had to spend time with the others, and I ended up feeling really guilty. I was on my feet all day and thought I would never be able to walk again. Saturday was a bit easier because I felt a bit more confident but there were all these shifty people down the road where I walk the dogs - I am sure I saw a man with a prostitute and a drug deal but maybe I am just being too paranoid. There was also a crazy lady (or so I nicknamed her) that drove past me at least 6 times, i.e. every other dog. There is nothing around there except for a cement factory that's closed on Saturday so I worried that she was going to try and take a dog. I had never considered the possibility of dog theft but I was reading the kennel owner's book about, yep, kennels, and the first section I read was about security and making sure the dogs were safe. I think my paranoia wasn't completely unwarranted but nothing happened, luckily. Sunday was the best day - no weirdos on the walk and it was more relaxing in the afternoon. The trick is to spend a few minutes with each dog and then let them do their own thing for about 20 minutes or so. All the dogs calm down when you're not around. When I came back they would all go crazy so I would fill up their water if needed and let out another dog for the next little bit. A couple of the dogs were not cooperative at all, at least not when it was time to go back in, but most listened really well. It's hard to be loud & firm enough when 10+ other dogs are barking all around. I have a hard enough time speaking loud enough, so it was a bit futile yelling. I got into a bit of a routine though finally so it went well. And now, here are the dogs (and a cat):

Brie - a Rottweiler and the biggest sweet heart (one of my favourites). She was super easy-going and was not aggressive at all toward the other dogs.

Ty - a drooler, peer and a puller. A golden lab and a cutie. He was really friendly and wanted to play with the other dogs but they didn't want to play and barked at him alot. He had a very Clyde-like bark (that the neighbours on the next block can hear) and would even howl a bit in the kennel.

Ruby & Jane - gorgeous dogs, and sisters. I don't remember the breed but they were really well trained. The owner said I could walk Jane & Ruby would just follow but when I took them out Ruby kept running ahead and with all the shifty people ( this was Saturday) I ended up hooking them both up. On Sunday I decided to try them on separate extendable leashes, so they could get a bit more exercize, but they are used to walking side by side so got all tangled up and Jane ended up chewing half through one of the leashes...oops!

Mia - a bit of a nut but really adorable. She reminded me alot of my old neighbour's dog Princess (my first dog-love). She loved getting her butt scratched and was one of the hardest to get back into the kennel at night. She made me chase her around to catch her and all the other dogs would go crazy barking. I gave her lots of time in the yard because she pooped inside her kennel on the first night (and I didn't want to chase her). She was fine the next day, though she needed a bath. She was a whiner too but not aggressive with the other dogs - but when one dog whines or barks the rest follow!

Sadie - a bit shy and a big time barker. She would only go out if I left the yard but she eventually let me pet her and liked me. She was a big white dog with long whiskers & a nubbin tale. Her whiskers were so dirty & her water dish always ended up dirty so I was constantly rinsing it out and refilling it. She LOVED the morning walk with fiery passion and I had to use the extendable leash because she was all over the place.

Motti - a big old fluff ball. Very mellow & really only barked at Sadie & the Ty. He was great to hug and easy to get along with. Beautiful brown eyes.

Kona - a pretty brown pitbull. A big time barker she got along okay with the big dogs (though she barked & barked at the new dogs until she decided they were okay) but went CRAZY with the small dogs.

Scooby Doo - not at all like his namesake, a chubby old cutie-pie. He loved getting pet and would smile and stick his nose in my face. My other favourite.

Tom - a HANDFUL. He was the worst to try to get into the kennel at night. He ALWAYS wanted to play and was a jumper and a nibbler ('affectionate nibbles' I call them but they still bruise...). He made me laugh though - especially walking him because he would always grab the leash on the way back and try to play with it. Nutball, but quite lovable.

Cody & Taz (or Taz and Cody?) - two white poodles, brothers I assume. They were really well behaved & loved the walk. I took them on the 'big dog' walk (the smaller dogs had a shorter walk) because they were always full of energy. I just never got their names straight though, so if I called them they wouldn't listen because I would say 'Taz...or Cody...or whoever..." which really isn't very authoritative enough.

Red - a little 'rat' or 'purse' dog and AWESOME. He was so funny & friendly. He kind of looked like a Chihuahua but was furrier so I am not sure what breed. He loved getting his tummy rubbed and was always up for playing. He would run along the fence with the bigger dogs like he was flying through the air, and he loved it. He was also a really good walker.

Carly - a nice little terrier or something. She was a runner & liked going outside. She was one of the first dogs to go so I didn't get too much time with her.

Maggie - a bit timid but listened well. The other dogs would go nuts though when she went out and she would bark & they would all bark...it was mayhem. I ended up only letting her out when the dogs closest to her side were in, much more peaceful.

Chloe - poor Chloe. She was so scared that she tried to nip me when I tried to take her out. So, I tried the old treat technique and made moderate progress. She still wouldn't go out but she didn't growl at least. Poor thing.

And, then Sage, the only cat. She was a meower and LOVED getting pet. She was totally easy-going and would let me pet her until I dropped dead of exhaustion. She looked like a Siamese but she was really fluffy, not long hair just fuzzy. A real cutie.

I guess that's it. I am really exhausted but I felt a real pang of sadness leaving last night. I got quite attached. It's not easy work, not super-hard either but still physically demanding work. The hardest part is the time, it's pretty much all day, though you do have breaks. It's quite a commitment but I think I would be really good at it. I guess we'll see.

The new door

It's not fancy BUT it's not rotting and ant infested either. Here's to a slightly less bug infested home with moderately decent weather protection! Woot woot!

The Deck

This is the deck. The lovely, wonderful, gorgeous, fantastic, amazing deck. F-yeah x 1000. And, yes, Tracey, there's talk of a new door. I can't get too excited until it's actually in but...Woot woot!

Progress

I am so frickin' excited! AAAAAHHHHH!!!!!

OH MY GOD!!! I HAVE A F-ING DECK!!! AAAHHHH!!!

Attacked by SPIDERS!!!

I was brutally attacked by spiders while I slept the other day. After a day or so one bite in particular has swollen up to slo-pitch ball size. It's RIDICULOUS and horribly irritating. I went to the drug store today to get some topical treatment but it had limited success. My massage therapist put a cool cloth on it when I went there and that felt nice but it didn't make much of a difference. I generally leave the Spiders be in my place. I consider them roommates to an extent, squatters technically, but if they're going to attack me I'm afraid I'm going to have to resort to serious measures. I caught one yesterday, but saw two more scatter and I couldn't find them. Bastards.

FYI: I threw the spider outside. I did not squish it. But, I will go to that length if I must.

Entertainment

I went to see two movies this week. On Monday, after a very long day at work, I went to see Up. I was pretty wiped out but it was well worth the late night out. It was thoroughly entertaining. I loved the characters. It was touching, tear-jerking, hilarious, adorable and more. Everything about it was good. I can't recommend it highly enough. Just go see it. Yesterday I went to see The Hangover. Quite a different movie from Up but it made me laugh my ass off - literally, as I actually tooted mid-laugh at one point, I was laughing THAT hard. This movie just got funnier and funnier and the ending was frickin' genius. I can't say too much because it will spoil it but just wait for the trunk scene, that's all I will say.

On top of the stellar movie week the Top 20 So You Think You Can Dance show was this week. I missed the Wednesday show, except for the last two dances. But, I was finally able to watch the whole show this morning. It was really exciting, the level of talent is really impressive this year and the first night of routines proved that. And, they had a Bollywood number which was fantastic. I think Wade Robson's 'Crash Test Dummy' routine was my favourite. I was surprised Tony was cut on Thursday because everyone really liked him, but I am happy to see the remaining dancers show their stuff this week. I just didn't want Vitolio to go, he's been through so much and I think he deserves to go farther. The Top 18 are all amazing so we'll see what happens!

Another week

So I worked approximately 14 hours of overtime this week. Needless to say I crashed out yesterday afternoon. I can only take so much. Today is a relaxing day, so far anyways. I did some house work, which is necessary, but luckily Hal woke me up around 7:00 so I didn't 'waste' my morning sleeping in. The one good thing about this week is that I downloaded some new music from iTunes, the new Phoenix album ("Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix") and discovered Grizzly Bear & Deerhunter from there. I haven't listened much to Deerhunter ("Microcastle") yet but I am LOVING Grizzly Bear ("Veckatimest"), especially the song "Southern Point". It's really great being out of debt! I actually have money to spend on things, other than pinching pennies to pay rent and buy groceries. I don't want to go too crazy, and get into the same situation, but it's nice having a bit of disposable income. I went to M&M yesterday and bought a crap load of yummy lunches, 2 of which I ate already - I am too tired & lazy to buy real food at this point. I really need new walking shoes so that will be my next splurge. Hopefully I can find a good pair, I want something summery but uber comfortable so I have been meaning to check out Valhalla, the sporty granola mecca, since they actually have a store in town. If anyone has the right pair it MUST be there. If not I'm going to be pissed, but I will settle for cute cheap shoes from Payless, or if I'm lucky I will get both. Anyways, I gotta go!

Oh, by the by, I did get the Tourism Challenge thing. I had to wait in line for an hour though, and the picture I took SUCKS, but I got it!

Just enough stamps! Yay!

I finally got enough stamps and tourist visits in today to make the minimum of 12 venues w/ at least 15 stamps. Yesterday I went to Science World & the IMAX. I saw Deep Sea in 3D, and was pleasantly surprised I didn't yell out as the sharks swam right past my face. It was really interesting actually, though either myself, the people around me or just the theatre smelled slightly unpleasant. I also had those theatre nachos, BIG MISTAKE. BLAACCHHHH! Anyways, today was Dino Town & Fort Langley. Every time I told a friend I was going to Dino Town they said 'Really?'. Dino Town is meant for kids, and the kids had fun. It is not meant for adults at all. Even the workers are all kids really - not child labour but teens. I think it's a great play place for kids, but compared to Science World which is super educational and every display is interactive, it could do a bit better and have something more. I would go again with my friends' kids though, it's entertainment enough watching them run around, and around. Science World also had an amazing Butterfly display...a good chance for me to Geek out. Again though if you don't have kids or child-like adults with you there's not much to do. Fort Langley was cool though, they had a special exhibit of Kwantlen First Nations history which was really interesting, and the staff was very friendly and informative. It reminded me quite a bit of Lower Fort Garry, minus the bannock.

Now I have the week to get into Van & get my pass. One more hurdle, and it's mine. For more info:

www.pc.gc.ca/fortlangley
www.dinotown.com
www.imax.com/vancouver
www.scienceworld.ca

Back to normal

My Mom went home yesterday so this morning all is back to normal - peeing with the door open, no talking, and a little time for the Internet. I was slightly relieved the 2 weeks were over but at the same time I am a little sad and miss her company. Shocking but true. I guess I'm not as in-de-pen-dent as I thought (Hermey the Elf & Rudolph, get it? They are in-de-pen-dent together? Never mind...). This weekend flew by and I did not get a chance to get more stamps for the Tourism Challenge. I don't know now if I can get the 12 in time but will be going to Dino Town on Sunday with my friends and their hilarious children so that should be a blast. I am hoping to visit Fort Langley on a lunch hour and then hit some spots after the Zoo on Saturday. I FINALLY got the new face paints so did some face painting on Saturday. The new paints are great, Palmer's Face Paints. The only problem was the heat, the paint kept drying out. I need to work on my technique again though. I am still a little rusty. My monkey kind of looked like a dog.

I guess I gotta go to work. Till next time.

LOOOONNNNNGGGGGG Weekend

Mom's in town so it has been crazy busy. Not much time for the computer or anything routine. However, I did manage to get some more stamps in the Tourism Challenge. Only 5 more to go now, so I should be able to pull it off. Anyways, the best find was Kilby. I have been there a dozen times but never visited the heritage building. It was great. They have a restaurant and bakery/gift shop. Then you can go into the old General Store, Post Office and Hotel. There are also farm animals for the kids to look at. I would definitely bring other visitors there - just an FYI for any of you planning to head out this way. We also visited Minter Gardens, and I did a quickie tour of the Aquarium with Cousin Janet (It was a challenge finding the feces-eating fish, but luckily other Tourism Challengees helped me out). I am really tired though, and wanting some regular me-time. Thank goodness it was a long weekend. One more week and then back to normal! But, by then it will be full-on overtime at work so I can't say I'm looking forward to it that much.

In case you're interested:
www.kilby.ca
www.mintergardens.com
www.vanaqua.org

STAR TREK & the Tourism Challenge

So, I saw Star Trek on Friday - AMAZING! I kept expecting to be disappointed, bored, but it was all good. It was exciting, the casting was great, there were a lot of little things for die hard Star Trek fans & I am positive I saw a tribble (sp?). I will have to verify the 'tribble' when I go see it again - and I WILL!!! Tracey, you're crazy for not wanting to see this movie.

As for the Tourism Challenge, I have till the end of May to visit a select group of tourist destinations in the area and if I can get at least 15 stamps from 12 places (some places give you 2 stamps) then I can get a free pass for 11 months to all of these places. Some of them don't charge anyways but despite living here for 9 years (holy crap!) I still have not gone to the Aquarium or Science World, and a bunch of other places so this is a good opportunity. I get a free pass in and can bring a guest so even if I don't get all the stamps I can still enjoy visiting all these places I have wanted to for FREE. As usual I procrastinated with starting, though I have been legitimately busy, so I stopped at Xa:ytem (there's a bunch of symbols in there too but I don't know the keyboard shortcuts, sorry!) on the way home from the Zoo on Saturday and that was really interesting. I highly recommend stopping there if you're ever in Mission. It's easy to see everything in about a half hour but they have an interesting display of the artifacts found on site and then you can go into the re-built pit houses which is really cool. I have to say I wouldn't mind living in there, as long as I can still have my computer hooked up, and a fridge. There is also a glacial erratic on the site that the Coast Salish people believe is from one of their origin myths and is their elders turned to stone because they did not teach their people the written language and their great spirit (sorry I can't remember the name) was angry & wanted to punish them. I also went to the Museum of Anthropology at UBC, amazing collection of totem poles, house posts, and potlatch 'dishes' (gigantic serving bowls the size of a grocery carts...) and more. They also happened to have a photographic exhibition on Samoan traditional tattooing. Now, I saw the Polynesian tattoo episode on Miami Ink so I really want to do that if I ever visit Hawaii BUT this style is with the same tools (which is painful and by the photos takes 3 or 4 people to hold people down while they're getting them) and is all over the thighs, butt and lower back. It's amazing but I think I would pass out or barf or something. Maybe if I could do it over several months, but all in one shot? Wow! Then I went to the UBC Botanical Garden, which was really nice. It's a lovely walk and they have quite a few trees and plants I had never seen before. You can also go on this tour up a metal walkway into the trees which I didn't have time for so I would like to go back and try that. And, I also stopped at Bloedel Conservatory in Queen Elizabeth Park. I have been to a few Conservatories like it so it's not really much different. They did have quite a few parrots and other unusual birds and the Park itself was beautiful so I would take a visitor to see it but I don't know if I would pay for it. Though if you have never been to anything like that I would recommend going at least once.

http://www.xaytem.ca/
http://www.moa.ubc.ca/
http://www.ubcbotanicalgarden.org/
vancouver.ca/parks/bloedel

Hal vs. Cute Rat

Last night Hal went out and when I was ready to go to sleep I went to let him back in but he was in the middle of a stand off with a cute rat. This is the healthy country rat I saw a long time ago or maybe it's a mole or something. It was definitely bigger than a mouse. Anyways, the creature was up on top of the suet feeder hanger and Hal was staring intently at it. I tried to call to Hal to get his attention but he wouldn't take his eyes off it. I felt bad for the creature - clearly it just went up for it's usual nighttime snack and then realized it was being stalked. It kept looking at me, pleading for help. After a couple of minutes I gave up, turned the light off outside and read for a bit. I thought the creature might try to make a run for it but when I went back nothing had changed. So, after some calling to Hal I finally grabbed some treats and was finally able to distract him and get him in the house. It was a bit tense there. Hal really has the instincts even though he grew up as a house cat. I don't want to deny him his catly ways, I just can't encourage it either.

Sunday morning

For the second Sunday in a row I didn't sleep in. I stayed in bed till after 6:30 today but that's as far as I could get. It has however been a nice morning and I was even moderately productive. Hal is in front of the patio window, he was there every day this week, and is napping. I guess he just does not want to miss anything. I have been taking care of my neighbour's diabetic cat this week. It's been quite an interesting experience. I had a rocky start since I've never done anything like that before but I feel like I've become quite proficient at it now. Not much else to report really. My Mom will be visiting in about a week so I need to get my butt in gear and clean up and I need to stock up on Mom-friendly snacks this week. Oh, and tonight I'm going to see the new Wolverine movie. I'll let you know how it is. Bye.

Provincial referendum

In a few weeks we will be voting in a new provincial government, or keeping the old one most likely. Part of the ballot is being used for a referendum on electoral reform. This is the same referendum in the last provincial election - a switch in the representation and voting system to the 'Single Transferable Vote'. I voted yes last time and will vote yes again simply because I think it will give voters more say in where their vote goes and ideally a better representation overall. Sure, there may be problems and it is more complicated but to me it makes a lot more sense. As a tree-hugger in a sea of conservatives my vote is worthless. However, my main reason in going political on ya'll is to just bring this to your attention and let you make the decision.

The nay-sayers:

http://nostv.org/

The yay-sayers:

www.bc-stv.ca

Either way, make a decision and vote!

Birds

When I got home today I saw 8 White-crowned Sparrows in the yard. 8! It really is bird season & after buying some food for them this past Saturday they have been visiting in droves. Hal has not left his spot at the patio door ALL DAY.

Not much to say

I woke up at 5:00 a.m. today. My only sleep-in day of the week and I fail miserably. I conked out after 10:00 p.m. yesterday on the coach but technically didn't go to bed till after midnight. But, I still woke up and then Hal was coughing up a hairball, and then I started to think about work. So, I gave up and got up to watch T.V. I watched 2 episodes of the Last 10 Pounds and then the Biggest Looser. I ate 5 Oreo cookies and then made coffee. It's now 11 and I have been watching T.V. since I got up so I feel a bit like crap. Ideally I should do some laundry and clean up a bit so maybe I will stop typing and get off my butt.

Babysitting Mayhem and more

On Saturday I tag-team babysat for my friends with Grandma Linda. There is a 3 Year old, a 2 Year old and a less than 1 Year old so you can imagine what might happen. Overall it went well though I admit I was nervous. However, there were a few incidents that are funny enough to share, and this tale comes with parental permission.

Incident # 1: We went outside for about a half hour, before dinner, and the boys ran amuck. Literally and figuratively. It was a blast watching them go to town. Watching the oldest carry big slabs of granite around and place them on top of the glass table made me a bit nauseous but nothing was broken. The middle child decided to go in and colour and then I went in with the baby and the oldest stayed out to play for another minute or so. He then came in covered in mud so I stopped him at the door, took off his boots & jacket & then we washed his hands. I thought he was just playing in the garden but later G.L. found her potted plant newly re-planted in their plastic toy car. Hmmm. The plant survived, so far, and was put back into it's original pot.

Incident #2: After dinner the boys got up and went to wash their hands. Grandma Linda went downstairs and I took the baby out of her high chair and headed into the living room. I saw splashing in the bathroom - splashing onto the floor of the bathroom. And, just in case you don't get it yet water tends to splash when it hits water. So, within a minute of being unsupervised they had filled the sink with water and were splashing each other & the rest of the bathroom. I ran in there and told them to stop and pulled the plug to drain the water - which disappointed them. My feet were soaked because the entire bathroom floor was covered, the toilet paper roll was sopping wet. It was a disaster. They were completely covered in water. So, I went to look for towels and as the boys got down off the stool they were wiping out on the wet floor. By this time I was slightly hysterical and laughing my guts out. I found a couple of towels and luckily G.L. came back upstairs at that point so went in there and cleaned it up. The oldest had also rubbed toothpaste all over his face and chest so it was decided that they didn't need to brush their teeth before bed after all. I watched the baby so got the easy end of it. The boys came out in their diapers and the oldest was going on and on about how 'very, very angry' his Mom & Dad would be. I couldn't argue as I figured they would be once they stopped laughing. If I had been even 10 seconds longer it would have been far worse because the sink was completely full and ready to overflow.

Incident #3: After post-flood playtime we sat and watched a video, Gray Rabbit something or other, and the kids were enthralled. I fed the baby her bottle and after a few minutes she spat up all over my chest. Now, a bit of baby spit up is fine but it was in such quantity and in such close proximity to my nose that I was mildly horrified. Luckily I had packed a spare shirt thinking I might get dirty at the Zoo that morning so changed into that. It pays to be prepared.

After all that I did volunteer to babysit more because it was hilarious & other than the near disasters it went okay. I will however pack another shirt for sure, maybe another pair of socks because they took a while to dry, and I will find out where they keep the towels, etc., just in case.

As a side note, that morning the volunteer group at the Zoo went to Mountain View. It's a conservation & breeding centre for endangered or rare animals and is only open for 2 group tours daily, not like the Zoo. It was great! They had these giant Sarus Cranes, an Andean Condor named Archie ( I forget his mate's name, sorry!), this unusual looking bird called the Abyssinian Ground Hornbill, several different Lemur species, Tapirs - Malayan and Mountain, an Indian Rhino named Ivan, a huge group of Painted Hunting Dogs, a Serval which was found living with a lady in her car as a pet (LUNACY!!!), and much more. They try to breed rare and endangered animals in the hope of eventually reintroducing them back into the wild. It was great to finally go there and I highly recommend it as a tourist spot if you have a chance. For more info go to their website:
http://mountainview.squarespace.com/

Well

Not much is going on really. I have been a little lazy, so no big surprises there. I MUST do my taxes before I get taken down by the tax police, or however that works. So, I'm getting a little stressed about it and therefore procrastinating. It's such a predictable cycle. I have started working on the Zoo newsletter which is good, but I'm still waiting for a few things so will hopefully get everything in by next week. Hal has been good with the birds (outside ones) but I did catch him leaping at the feeder the other day. Little f&%#er. Oh, well, it's cat nature. And, I guess the birds are use to predators. I did treat myself to some new music from iTunes. I got Massive Attack's Mezzanine album; the new album by Jason Collette; Talking Heads Best of; and Wintersleep 'cause of the song in One Week. I am obsessed with that particular song "Weighty Ghost". But I also brought the Talking Heads one into Little Car for the ride to work and I'm really glad I got it. It's super peppy and fun and it was only $7.97 or something. Cheap! I am listening to Massive Attack as I write this and it's making me want to brood and maybe have a cocktail, which is all good. I haven't thoroughly listened to the Jason Collette one but I have high hopes from the quick listen before I downloaded it. I also have to get the new K-os album but want the official CD so will actually go out to HMV sometime soon. That's it really, though I have to say that I LOVE wearing my belly dancing pants and fringey wrap. It makes me feel more authentic. We're learning a routine which is really fun though I had trouble with this new box step and had to learn two weeks in one due to the crazy ass flu I had last week. I am however a natural so managed to learn it all! Oh, and Lost...I won't go into detail but OH MY! And, I WAS RIGHT!

Later.

Pain, no gain

I was ill earlier in the week, I even took Monday off from work which is unusual for me. It was some sort of flu or something so lasted only a couple of days but it took a few more days to feel normal again. Yesterday was my first experience of hunger pains after 5 days. I was ecstatic, which may seem ridiculous, but I spent Thursday and Friday eating simply so I could get some energy back and hopefully have a normal bowel movement. But, yesterday I experienced the lovely feeling of hunger, a genuine desire for food. I ate a dried fruit snack and continued on my way. Then I felt hunger again and had lunch. And, then later again. Wonderful. I am back to normal and VERY happy about it. I am not a fan of feeling lame and out of sorts. Granted my whole body is sore because I had to postpone my massage therapy for fear of vomiting on her massage chair, but that's almost normal. I only have to wait a couple more days for my appointment. I also desperately need to visit my chiropractor but that will have to wait till later in the week.

As an aside, I went to "Pho Abbotsford No. 1" Vietnamese restaurant. It was a bit of a dive, location wise especially, so I doubt I would have tried it on my own BUT the food was good and after the meal we got an Aero bar and 2 toffees. An Aero bar. NO business has EVER given me an Aero bar without me grabbing it from the chocolate selection and paying for it. I thought that was it, but after the Aero bar we got a moist towelette. A moist towelette! Then, when we asked for the bill we got two more candies. Two more!!! I felt like giving them a hug for such wonderful customer service. It was like my Air North experience - after years and years of flying crap airlines Air North made me feel surprised and happy with my flying experience. They served fresh local food for the meal, which by the way was free, then I got two coffees and CANDY! It was wonderful. I am going back to the "Pho" and I HIGHLY recommend you do so as well.

Bellydancing extravaganza

I went to MEDA's 'Grande Bazaar' yesterday, which is a yearly event for the local bellydancing community. IT WAS AWESOME and only $5 to get in! There were quite a few performers, some of which I recognized from my classes. I think it's great to have an opportunity to perform, but I think that getting all dressed up is the best part and it was neat seeing all the different costumes. The Bazaar part was why I went though. Bellydancing wear is not exactly available at The Bay or the local dollar store. So, it was a good opportunity to find a variety of items and WOW! DID I! I spent ~ $140, which to be honest is a little beyond my budget. However, considering the sheer amount of things to buy I think I did okay. The best purchase was my bellydancing pants, which are essentially genie pants, were only $10. My veil, which needs to be a bit longer than arms length & down to your knees, was only $5. I splurged on a beautiful blue circle skirt and two new hip wraps. I had my heart set on fringe so settled on this hip wrap with fringe along the bottom. The other wrap was all beaded and very pretty. I wanted to find some music but couldn't find anything affordable and/or with songs I recognize. I still have not gotten a suitable bellydancing shirt or bejeweled bra but I think the pants are a good step in the right direction. Maybe next year.

Hand cramping

Okay, so once again I am entering into the world of obsession, this time with Guitar Hero World Tour. I played 2 1/2 hours or so and I still wanted to play but since my hands were cramping I felt it was best to force myself to stop. Part of it is the fact that stuff gets unlocked the more you play, which makes me go a bit longer than I want to. Overall I really enjoy being obsessed with something again since it's been a while. It's a welcome distraction since work is getting crazier and I am starting to get stressed. There seems to be much more to play in this game than in the previous version but we'll see once I get to the end. I may get carpal tunnel. Oh, and you get to customize your own character so that was really fun. I have yellow shoes and a fedora. Can't go wrong with that. I can't wait till I unlock the Jimi Hendricks songs! AHHHHHH!!!!!!

By the by, One Week was good. I cried a bit, laughed a bit. It's a touching story, and I think is a good homage to central & western Canada. The funniest bits are when the main character visits the biggest something, which each town has throughout Canada. The annoying thing for me was that there was this narrator and it kept reminding me of 'Y tu mama tambien' which I found a little distracting. I think it's worth watching so definitely check it if you can.

A week later

I am experiencing significantly less lethargy today which is great. The sun is shining. The laundry machine is laundering. I was totally exhausted after the Zoo yesterday but treated myself to Guitar Hero Word Tour. I got a hand cramp but there's a fun variety of songs to play so it's worth it. I also got some new shirts and a pair of pants. I am VERY excited about the new threads. For the past few years I have had trouble finding clothes that I like and that fit well. I'll find a shirt here and there, a pair of jeans, etc. but finding 5 items in one shot was a frickin' miracle. Reitmans rocks my world - this season anyways. Aside of the shopping spree, I have been watching Season 4 of X Files for the past 2 days. I just watched the Cigarette Smoking Man's episode. It's one of my favourites. I don't know if it's my age, or what, but Mulder really gets on my nerves now. When I first watched the show I idolized him, Scully was my favourite but I wanted to believe in the strange and other worldly things. Now I just wish he would shut the hell up. I still enjoy the show but I think it would be better (or at least less annoying) if he would just investigate these phenomena but keep his theories to himself, or a select few, instead of constantly trying to make everyone else believe him. It makes me want to smack him around, knock some sense into him. No one's going to believe his crazy ideas.

I'm going to see One Week later today. I'll let you know how it is.

Extreme Lethargy

I can barely hold my head up today. Luckily it's Sunday and I am not obligated to do anything, other than eat dinner. I rented some movies yesterday on my way back from the Zoo: Happy-Go-Lucky, The Lucky Ones and WALL-E. The first one was a wonderful surprise, I picked it because it had been nominated for a Gold Globe which is a good sign, and it was great. It's about this woman named Poppy who is the epitome of happy-go-lucky. It's very funny and also quite sad and frustrating. I highly recommend it! The next one is about 3 soldiers who return from Iraq and make their way across country. I was expecting a very sad and compelling story but it's actually extremely light and humourous which threw me off a bit. It was entertaining though and a good road trip movie. The producer/director's intention was to make it more about the characters interaction and journey rather than focus on the harsh reality of war which I understand. It's worth watching if you have a chance. I loved WALL-E. It was as adorable and touching as I hoped it would be. My only problem with it was the overly happy ending when the world turns into this lush green space again with Blue Jays flying around. It's a lovely thought but once a species is gone it's gone.
Anyways, it was a good haul of videos to watch. Oh, I also had kimchi for the first time yesterday - am I spelling it right? Delicious!

Funny FYI

I missed the frickin' time change AGAIN! So, my alarm went off this morning, Hal came for his his morning pet, the news was on for a few minutes and then the lady said "7:22". WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I leaped out of bed and checked my computer and low & behold it was actually 7:23 by then. I put on the coffee, made my toast got dressed, ate & finished half of the coffee within 10 minutes. But, on top of that there was also a dump of snow this morning so the drive to work took over 40 minutes (double the usual). AND, my CD is skipping on my favourite Arcade Fire song. Needless to say I was a grumpy B by the time I got to work.

What vacation?

So, I went to Oakville, Ottawa and Toronto. I haven't really felt like writing lately so thought I would share some of my favourite pics instead. It was a great trip, though after a few days of work I feel like I need another vacation. I know that's ridiculous. This weekend was nice & lazy, though I did see The Watchmen on Friday. Other than the annoying teenagers in front of us it was very entertaining, but everytime the 'the blue guy' as I call him was naked and turned around they snickered. Really, he's blue! It's a movie! Get the hell over it! Argh! They should have adult only showings of movies I think. I mean let all the teenagers annoy each other.

Not dead yet

I did not die from the mold, yet, and am happily relaxing at Tracey's in Oakville. Luckily they have internet for me, it's so hard to go cold turkey on vacation. Anyways, I had this DELICIOUS key lime tart which this bakery nearby makes in a chocolate pastry. SH!$ that is brilliant. I licked the paper to get all the icing off, it was just that good. I also got free lunch at Tracey's place of employment. As you all know I LOVE FREE FOOD. It was great. I also got to see a bunch of birds, some ducks I need to identify, a swan, some geese, and alot of squirrels. And, I got to see a Great Lake - Lake Ontario, Canadian side. It was beautiful. I can't wait to go to Ottawa tomorrow!!! Oh, and Tracey's making me my favourite dessert - the date square, which is actually round. Yay!

Death by mold

Today I was a cleaning machine, a machine with lots of breaks and intermittent rounds of Spider Solitaire but still a machine. Anyways, I just cleaned out the fridge and opened a Tupperware and there was a thick layer of mold over what was salsa I think. I could just be imagining it but ever since then I have had a tickly throat so I have been coughing and I think I may die from some insane mold induced reaction.
If you don't hear from me for a while it may be because I'm dead. Or, it just may be because I'm heading East for a few days. I guess we'll see.

On holiday

Today is my first official day of holidays. I'm off till March 2 and heading to Ontario next week for a few days to visit my dear friend Tracey and hubby Andy. I am looking forward to a few days of relaxation before I head out and hope to accomplish some much needed cleaning, organizing, etc. around the house. Of course, given my track record I may accomplish NOTHING but hopefully intentions count. So far though all I have done is put on the dishwasher, but it's something. I have watched 10 Years Younger, Without A Trace, All My Children, General Hospital, and other assorted daytime television shows. I've played an hour or so of Spider Solitaire and Temple Guardian. It's nice to have a day off. I had to work over 3 hours of overtime last night to get everything done, or as close to done as possible. I felt like a bag of crap but also relieved I accomplished as much as I did. I was starving when I got home so treated myself to sausages and fries - ok, no veggies BUT the sausages were chicken/apple sausages so that's a bit of fruit, if unrecognizable, and of course ketchup which is made from tomatoes. Yes, it's a stretch but I am on holiday so I can get away with that. Tonight is episode # 2 of Dollhouse so I'm excited about that. Tomorrow I will go to the Zoo and Sunday is dinner at Linda's then 2 more days of homebody bliss and I will be packing for the big trip out East. Yay!

Dollhouse

The premier of Dollhouse was yesterday. It was great, mysterious, interesting, fun. I really like the mix of characters but I think the tech guy is a total prick. Hopefully he gets more interesting. Echo's handler seems nice. And what's up with the cop? I can't wait for next week!

Peek

This is the Arctic fox. I LOVE this picture. I walked around the Zoo today and got some really good pictures. Afterward I went to the bakery and got a crap load of stuff because I was hungry. I ate 2 squishy buns in the car on the way home. They are delicious! I couldn't resist. I also had a raspberry turnover about half an hour ago. You already know about my feelings about those.

Bellydancing Drills

Sweet Jesus! I just exorcised for 2 hours - straight. Me, who only exercises twice a week, bellydancing on Tuesdays and Yoga at work on Fridays. Then a bit of manual labour on Saturdays at the Zoo. I am BRUTALLY out of shape. But, I actually survived 2 hours of bellydancing drills today. 2! First there were stretches, etc. to warm up then a song of chest drops, a song of chest lifts, a couple songs of combinations of chest drops and chest lifts. Then it gets kind of blurry, but eventually we were standing up again and up on the balls of our feet doing hip shimmies. At that point I had to stop a couple times because my shins were seizing up. There were also squats, the egyptian shimmy, chest slides, figure eights w/ the ummy (sp?), and then we did our own combo, figure eights w/ chest drops, undulation and ummy. Then some more stretches and yoga poses. My right shin is kind of twitching still and I am afraid I may not be able to get out of bed in the morning. I had a super hot shower, recommended by the teacher, so hopefully that will help. It was crazy but I actually feel great, if slightly wobbly. I would DEFINITELY do it again. But, maybe not next week...

Oh, yeah

And, then I wiped out on a patch of ice in the parking lot. On top of being EMBARRASSING I was worried I would blow out my knee again or ruin my T-shirt.

So You Think You Can Dance Canadian tour kicks off

So I went to the SYTYCD show yesterday in Van. I was soooo excited, the last few hours, and minutes of work seemed to take forever as I counted down. I went with a group of people but only knew my co-worker so it was a little awkward but I did learn alot about toilet training and what their children like to do or say. We almost missed the opening though because we were running late after eating dinner, NOOOOO! But, we made it just in time for the first dance number and it was great. I spent half the show fiddling with my camera and trying to focus it but did get some decent pictures. They had quite a few of my favourite numbers though some were not included. The group numbers were great and they also had all of them do their solos, just like the T.V. show. Twitch from last season of the US show was there. He was getting mobbed a bit so the tech people pulled him into the off limits area. I kind of freaked out and screamed like a crazy person. I couldn't get a picture though I tried. I just got 4 blurry dark images with a few blinky lights. Lame. Anyways, the dancers were great. There were a few cheesy bits here and there and brutally long awkward pauses after each routine - I think it was to give the audience time to cheer and stuff but honestly 20 seconds is probably the maximum time needed and it seemed to go on for a few minutes. Admittedly, I didn't time it, so I may be exaggerating. I wish there were more routines but the dancers would likely pass out from exhaustion so I understand. I did get a T-shirt, of course, I almost didn't but wanted to complete my So You Think You Can Dance obsession. $40 later, but worth it. If only Francis made it to the Top 10, too bad! You should all go if you can. It's great and I can't wait till Season 2! I want to go again!

Funny bit

Check out the latest news - though I don't condone beating anything with pipes. Just an FYI.
http://www.theonion.com/content/radio_news/species_makes_unwelcome?utm_source...

The day after

So, two things happened yesterday worth sharing:
1. I FINALLY beat Babus (sp?) in FF Tactics, it's the fourth crystal you come across. It took me 6 attempts but I did it! Woop!!! I had to level up a few times and change my equipment, gold armour and the fortune ring helped. Then I switched my extra ability to 'item' so that I could heal myself. The bastard was kicking my a$$ but I finally got through.
2. The premier of Lost Season 5 was on yesterday. My co-worker had a Lost gathering for us Lost fans with a plethora of snacks and Fresca. Fresca! It was delicious. Lost was also very exciting. I think I know where they're going now, literally and figuratively. I can't wait till next week!

Smoothies

I am soooooo into smoothies right now. I made one yesterday and it was DELICIOUS so I made one again just now. And, yes, it's equally DELICIOUS. Some yogurt, vanilla, cranberry juice, black berries and voila! Taste sensation.
I had another massage today. It's amazing how screwed up my body is but at least I can walk again - I had to pull these crazy mats around in the Giraffe barn on Saturday and my poor legs were very sore the last two days. I am so old and decrepit.

Tid bit

Nothing has changed really, I am still playing FF Tactics BUT before I forget I wanted to add 2 words to the english language:
Hulahoopable - when a song is catchy and people can hula hoop to it.
Redneckian - something very redneck, like monster trucks or gun racks
This is in honour of my friend Ryan who continues to push the English language beyond it's current limitations.

Addictions

I am sorry I haven't been posting much. I am BRUTALLY addiced to Final Fantasy Tactics right now. In fact, as I'm writing I am battling a clan that wants to turn me in for a bounty...but I doubt you give a crap about that. Anyways, I started my Bellydancing class again today which was good. And, in a couple weeks I will be going to the So You Think You Can Dance show...Woot woot!!! and another woot! Gotta go, my wizard guy just died...

Love is a fickle thing

I know I said I was madly in love with my vaccuum. But things change and now I am madly in love with my new tires. Michelin. I got to work despite the piles of snow and ice. I drove through flooded roads. THEY ARE AMAZING! Granted, I am now broke but at least I'm alive.
I was just watching the Rick Mercer Report and he did the polar bear swim in Oakville. Hilarious! Tracey, Andy I hope to see you both doing that next year!
Check this out: http://www.cbc.ca/mercerreport/video.html?maven_playerId=rmrseason6player&mav...

New Years Eve

Today I got a new version of Carcassonne - New World. It's set in the New World of course and you start on the east coast of America. The goal is to move west so there are 2 new pieces called Surveyors and they move forward every time a city, road, etc. is completed. This makes it a bit more challenging because any settlers 'left behind' are automatically removed once the surveyor passes them. Tracey & I played twice and I lost twice. Then Andy came and we played 2 more times and I lost 2 more times. Yes, my loosing continues but it was really fun. It's a nice relaxing way to spend New Years. Unfortunately my annoying neighbours are outside setting off fireworks since it's now after midnight. I don't mind but if they hurt Little Car I'm going to egg their house. Speaking of which Little Car has a big crack in the windshield. Not sure when it happened - perhaps it was from the cold or something happened at the Airport since I haven't been driving it much. So, assuming it cannot be repaired I will be moving onto windshield #3. Don't tell my Mom though. Thanks.
Happy New Year by the by.